-LRB- CNN -RRB- Looking only at the historic , social and political facts , you will miss the spiritual phenomenon that enabled us to come together to change the South and the nation in 1965 .

MLK , LBJ , SNCC , SCLC , NAACP , churches , synagogues , universities , trade unions , United Nations , federal courts , FBI and even Congress came together in spite of historic conflicts and differences to create one of the greatest occasions in the history of our nation .

That 's miraculous .

This complex story has evolved into a visual psalm of spiritual power that leads us to the truths of democracy that defy , but also reveal , the ultimate power that occasionally breaks into our lives and lifts us to new cultural heights .

This is Selma the movement and `` Selma '' the movie .

Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay , with a team of brilliant , but mostly little-known actors and artists , attempted to tell this story in Hollywood . They condensed years into minutes -- with great success .

Very few of the personalities , their families or their institutions will like this phenomenal effort , for it does not give them the credit or the recognition to which they feel entitled . We often get lost in the trees and miss the forest , and its life-saving grandeur and beauty .

The opening scenes of `` Selma '' shocked me into a spiritual realm with the sudden explosion in the midst of four beautiful , laughing little girls in Sunday school at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham , Alabama . That scene put me on an emotional roller coaster ride that reminded me that whatever success I have enjoyed was because of the sacrifice and suffering of others : from Medgar Evers , James Chaney , Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner , to Jimmie Lee Jackson , James Reeb , and Viola Liuzzo . We are what we are because others risked and gave their lives to redeem our world from the evils of racism , war and poverty .

Zelizer : The real story behind ` Selma '

The movie `` Selma '' has been years in the making . Many have tried . But most have given up because of the difficulties of accommodating so many constituencies , patents , property rights and the complex ego structure of our society . I 'm pleased that did not happen with this film .

Selma then and now

When you see `` Selma '' for yourself -- and you must -- look for the miraculous transformation of America . Without violence . With very little money . And with only our faith in the creator as our source of power . `` Selma '' is a cinematic tribute to the democratic vision that we can live together in freedom without violence .

Fifty years later , the challenge is global as well as local . Now we must learn to address the economic crisis of unemployed poor and under-employed workers .

Just as the answers 50 years ago revolved around voting , today 's issues revolve around jobs , the economy , gender , culture , religion and healing . But now , we know that we can . Because of the miracle of Selma in 1965 and today as a film in 2015 , we can bear witness and embrace the powerful belief that we shall overcome .

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Andrew Young : The movement for voting rights achieved a miracle , depicted in the film `` Selma ''

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He says peaceful protesters worked with politicians to gain justice